Hassan Abbaszadeh, speaking Saturday, Sept. 13, at the launch of a campaign to cut energy consumption by 10%, thanked media outlets for supporting the company over the past year. He said the goal is to instill a culture of responsible energy use so the country can better channel resources toward production and job creation.

Although Iran is rich in gas resources, poor policy decisions over the years have left the country with an energy imbalance, Abbaszadeh said. Household and public consumption spikes sharply in the winter, underscoring the need to improve energy-use culture and efficiency.

He added that despite efforts by various organizations to manage consumption, these measures will be undermined if people do not adopt more efficient practices.

Abbaszadeh noted that petrochemicals pay the highest gas prices during the cold season, yet the industry still contributes significantly to value creation by converting gas into products across the value chain. He said completing the chain, particularly in methanol, urea and ammonia, remains a key objective.

Last year, Zagros and Pardis Petrochemical Co. actively participated in the 10% consumption reduction campaign, Abbaszadeh said, adding that larger initiatives are planned this year. He expressed hope these efforts would not only generate value but also foster a sustainable culture of energy efficiency among the public.

The deputy oil minister also highlighted the administration’s and Oil Ministry’s focus on eliminating gas flaring. Monitoring and collection projects are underway, he said, noting that NGL 3100 has come online, while the second phase of NGL 3200 will soon begin operations. With contributions from Persian Gulf Holding at Bidboland Gas Refinery and Marun Petrochemical, 21 million cubic meters of gas will be returned to the grid this year. Abbaszadeh said the aim is to end routine flaring in the coming years.